30 Life Quotes For Really Bad Days

Bad days happen, but hopefully these encouraging life quotes can help.

Bad days happen — to everyone. No matter how happy or positive of a person you may be, we all have those times where things aren’t so bright or cheery. I’m not trying to be a downer; I’m just keeping it real. During those bad times, sometimes all you need is a little pick me up to raise your spirits and encourage you to keep pushing — and most importantly, to remind you that everything will be OK.

One of our favorite places to turn for this sort of positive boost is life quotes. While social media like Instagram or Facebook may serve as a distraction, quotes dig deeper and speak to the core of your mind, body, and soul. Life quotes come in so many different topics and forms, and whether they’re inspirational or empathetic, we love them all because they’re about real life. Like I said, bad days happen to everyone — it’s a common string connecting all of humanity.

Life quotes come from so many different types of people too, which is great, because just as we all have similarities, we also all have differences too. Whether they’re women or men, musicians or celebrities, politicians or poets, so many people have such amazing things they’ve said and shared with us.

If you’re having a bad day, first take a deep breath, but then turn to this list of 30 life quotes. You never know, one of these may just be exactly what you need to hear to change the course of your day.

1. "In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you." — Andrea Dykstra

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

Without our experiences, we would not be the people we are today. Find gratitude for them, no matter how hard it may sometimes be.

2. "Nothing can dim the light that shines from within." — Maya Angelou

This is such a powerful message that we all need to be reminded of.

3. "Want to perform a miracle? Forgive yourself." — Rune Lazuli

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

4. "Rise above the storm, and you will find the sunshine." — Mario Fernandez

No matter how bad a day may seem, there is always positivity to be found.

5. "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." — Confucius

We all fall, it's inevitable, but it's what you do after the fall that really counts.

6. "When you have a bad day, a really bad day, try to treat the world better than it treated you." — Patrick Stump

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

Avoid taking an "eye for an eye" approach, and instead try to send love back into the world. Clearly, we all could use it.

7. Life is about making an impact, not making an income. — Kevin Kruse

It's easy to get caught up in feelings of not doing enough, not making enough, or simply not being enough. This comes from measuring ourselves against other people's standards, or the standards of society. Remind yourself that the impact you make on others is way more powerful than the amount of money you have in your bank account.

8. "The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore." — Rumi

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Some things just aren't worth your time or energy — only focus on what really matters.

9. "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."—Thomas Edison

11. "We can be our own dragons as well as our own heroes — and sometimes we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves." — Tom Robbins

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

We can sometimes be our own worst enemies, but we can also be our own heroes. Be the latter.

12. "Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." — Joshua J. Marine

The good and the bad — they're all such essential parts of life.

13. "These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb." — Najwa Zebian

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

14. "Problems are not stop signs; they are guidelines." — Robert Schuller

Don't let a bump in the road halt your progress — get back on track and keep going.

15. "If you can't do anything about it then let it go. Don't be a prisoner to the things you can't change." — Tony Gaskins

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

16. "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground." — Theodore Roosevelt

17. "There are some things you learn best in calm. And some, in storm." — Willa Cather

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Lessons aren't only learned when things are smooth sailing — sometimes they stem from the struggle.

18. "Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." — Earl Nightingale

We often spend more time stressing about what we want, than actually trying to accomplish it.

19. "My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness." — Maya Angelou

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

20. "If life were predictable, it would cease to be life, and be without flavor." — Eleanor Roosevelt

Life's unpredictability is what makes it life in the first place. Remember, we're all on this crazy ride together.

21. "Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyway." - Glennon Doyle Melton

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

There is no need to be perfect, but there is the need to never give up.

22. "You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." — Oprah Winfrey

It takes a lot of courage to get through life, and you should never be afraid to ask for what you want. You just might be surprised by what you get in response.

23. "One of the most courageous decisions you’ll ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul." — Brigitte Nicole

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

Sometimes you just have to let go.

24. "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." — Carl Bard

Don't waste time dwelling on your past. Choose to look at each day as a new beginning and new opportunity to create the life you want.

25. "There's no such thing as the light at the end of the tunnel. You must realize that you are the light." — The Better Man Project

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

26. "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." — Albert Einstein

Sometimes all you need is a little momentum to get yourself back on track.

27. "The many things that don't suck rival the things that do. And we all live in the house of what we pay attention to." — Ani DiFranco

Art by Tanya Leigh Ta

There will always be good and bad things in life, but it's what you lend your energy to populates your life.

28. "The big lesson in life is never be scared of anyone or anything." — Frank Sinatra

Don't let fear dictate how you live your life.

29. "The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people." —Randy Pausch

Commit to being strong enough to break through, or at least climb over, that brick wall. You can do it.